Cannabis is quite famous for helping people sleep better. In fact, this is one of the major reasons why so many people are now applying for a medical marijuana card to use the herb as their sleeping aid. No matter how stubborn the insomnia, people have always found relief in their condition with the help of a nice Indica with its amazing sedating effects.
While a lot of people are aware of this evergrowing and everlasting relationship between cannabis and sleep, there are a lot of things you probably still don’t know about. The link between cannabis and sleep is more complex than you actually think. For instance, do you know that an older bud is a more effective sleep aid than a new one? Also, 420 doctors say that marijuana can inhibit your dreams.
There are a lot of such interesting facts about your favorite plant and your favorite activity. And we’ve covered many of them in this post. So, read along.
THC and CBD Have Different Effects on Your Sleep
If you have a medical cannabis card already then you probably are aware that there are several different strains of the marijuana plant. Some of these strains get you quite high (with high THC levels), some don’t make you high at all (with high CBD levels), and then there are strains that provide you with a nice balanced buzz (with almost equally THC and CBD).
But do you know which of them is better for your sleep?
Well, as per the research until now, THC is a better sleep aid. However, 420 doctors believe that even CBD may help you in some cases. There was a study conducted on 72 individuals to determine the effects of CBD on insomnia. And out of these, around 66 percent of patients saw an improvement in their sleep. However, 25 percent also claimed their symptoms getting even worse. So, saying if CBD is a right sleep aid for you may not be that easy. However, if you want to find out, you may experiment a little on your own. Try using a high CBD strain to help you sleep. If that works for you, great! Otherwise, go for a strain with a little more THC.
Different Strains Have Different Effects on Sleep
If you listen to people, most of them will tell you that to help you with sleeping problems, you should prefer consuming Indica strains. Indica strains are known to induce relaxing and sleepy effects. While on the other hand, Sativa strains produce energizing and uplifting effects. Well, this may be true in most cases. But it shouldn’t be your only criteria while selecting a strain to help you sleep.
You should instead experiment here a little. Try different types of strains and keep a note of how you felt that night after consuming each one. Check which ones were most effective in helping you with your sleep. Were they high in CBD or THC? Did they have any particular terpenes? Or were they different from others in any other aspect? Keep in mind that different strains may work differently on different individuals. One particular strain that works for others may not work for you. And thus, by observing the strains that you consume closely, you can make the right choice for your condition more easily.
Marijuana Can Help You Fall Asleep Quickly
As we have already talked about the relaxing and stress relieving properties of marijuana, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that the herb can help you fall asleep very quickly. This particular property of cannabis can come in really handy for people who find it difficult to fall asleep due to a medical condition, such as chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, etc.
You should also note here that you may prefer cannabis edibles to help you sleep. Edibles may take some time to kick in. However, their effects are quite long-lasting, which will help you stay asleep for longer.
Cannabis May Cause Hangover
Despite the popular contrary belief, cannabis has the ability to cause hangovers. And this is especially true if you consume it near bedtime. So, if someone ever tells you that you won’t feel anything in the morning, clear their facts.
Yes, the hangover due to cannabis consumption will not be similar to the alcohol one. You won’t obviously find yourself hunched over the toilet seat with your head thumping. However, you may feel a little groggy, lethargic dehydrated, and congested. There is a chance that this doesn’t happen to you, which will be great. However, a lot of cannabis consumers have had these bad experiences, especially after smoking a low quality cannabis bud.
So, what to do to avoid such a scenario?
Well, 420 doctors recommend consuming good quality cannabis only to help you with any medical condition, including insomnia. And in addition to this, you should keep yourself hydrated, eat healthily, and avoid overindulging.
Cannabis Inhibits Your Dreams
If you consume cannabis as a sleep aid on a regular basis, there is a pretty high chance that you may find yourself with missing dreams. Why? It’s simple. See, the part of your sleep where the dreams usually occur is what we call REM or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. And the problem with cannabis use before sleeping is that it reduces your time in this particular stage of your sleep. This means you do not dream as much. And even if you do, dreams are not as vivid as they usually are.
Now, this may be a good thing for some people, such as PTSD patients, as it may reduce the frequency and intensity of their nightmares. But if you really want to dream, you need to stop consuming cannabis. Also, you should note that if you are consuming cannabis for a long time, the REM rebound may take some time. But eventually, it will happen.
Discontinuing Cannabis Use May Worsen Your Sleep
Some people have been using medical marijuana for a very long time to help them with their sleeping problems. However, if you are one of them and are thinking of taking a break from cannabis use, this might be a problem for you. There was a study conducted in the year 2008 that found out that if you stop the long term use of cannabis, it may lead to various sleep issues, including short sleep time, longer time to fall asleep, less time in the REM stage, worsened slow-wave sleep and many more. The researchers found these symptoms in the cannabis-using group after stopping the drug use were even worse than the non-drug controlled group.
However, there is another thing to note here. The researchers said that the study was done on a very small number of people. Having said that, there is a chance the subjects of the study had these worsened symptoms even before the cannabis use. And they just surfaced again after halting the drug use. In short, we need to have some more in-depth research on the subject to understand it completely.
So, these were a few facts about cannabis and sleep that you probably didn’t know. And I hope they help you if you are thinking of getting a medical cannabis card to help you sleep better.